We had our first wine tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton after the summer break. The theme was Non Vintage Champagne and sparkling wines. We had two domestic sparkling wines and three Champagnes and all were Bruts. I am not a big fan of sparkling wines so I cannot judge them very well but I will take a try at it. Nancy had a business meeting and was unable to show up until near the end and had to hurry through the wines so it is mostly just my notes tonight. I’ll just list each wine and what I thought of it. I’ll also note the favorite and second favorite of the group of tasters, about ten people total. All wines were tasted blind.
Guy Charlamange Blanc de Blanc Le Mesnil Sur Oger, $49.95.
Pale yellow color with a lot of fine bubbles.The nose had hints of yeast and bread with a little apple. There was plenty of acid and the wine had a light mouth feel. There was a mineral flavor with a moderately long clean finish.
Gloria Ferer Sonoma County Brut, $29.00.
Pale yellow color, not a lot of bubbles. Yeast and bread in the nose. A light mouthfeel with lots of very fine bubbles. Good acid with a light mineral flavor. A little rounder than the previous wine with a long clean finish. Some people thought there may be a little more residual sugar than the first wine. This was the group’s second favorite wine.
Louis Roederer Brut Premier, $61.00.
Pale yellow color with fine bubbles. The nose had green (unripe) apples. Tons of fine bubbles in the mouth and a lot of acid. In the mouth the flavor was again the green apples and some fresh bread. It had a very light body with a moderately long clean finish. This was the group’s favorite.
Roederer Estate Andersen Valley, $27.00.
Pale yellow with fine bubbles. Yeasty nose. For me there was fruit in the flavor like an unoaked Chardonnay. Mineral and Chardonnay grape flavor. There was good acid and a light clean mouthfeel and a moderate finish. Not as interesting as the previous wine, however.
Comti de Dampierre Champagne, $51.00.
Medium yellow color with fine bubbles. Heavily toasted, almost burnt bread in the nose. Looking at the cork, it was a fairly old bottle. The cork was discolored and heavily compressed. Fair amount of acid but the nose carried over into the flavor and made it hard to drink. It had a short clean finish with a light body and a little sweetness.
